Expression regulator for player pianos



March 5, 1929. T, CHEEK EXPRESSION REGULATOR FOR PLAYER PIANOS Filed March 31, 1924 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 firmEJJ o K560119720 IN VENTOR 702851777? 6 /56 March 5, 1929. T. F. CHEEK EXPRESSION REGULATOR FOR PLAYER PIANOS Filed March 31, 1924 I5 Sheets-Sheet 2 min m m m/ Mn 52 7 W8 Q March 5,1929."

T. F. CHEEK mxrnzssxon REGULATOR FOR PLAYER PIANOS Filed March 31, 1924 3 Sheets-Sh'et INVENTOR 70 15577; (hes/r Patented Mar. 5, 1929.

UNITED STATES TOLBERT F. CHEEK, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.,

ASSIGNOR TO THE AEOLIAN COMPANY, A

GOBPORATIQN OF CONNECTICUT.

EXPRESSION REGULATOR FOR PLAYER PIANOS.

Application filed March 31, 1924. Serial No. 703,018

The object of my invention is to provide an expression regulator for player pianos and similar instruments which will allow a predetermined number of variations in the volume of music rendered, according to openings in the note sheet and tracker bar. In the present embodiment of my invention herein shown and described, four such variations are disclosed although it is obvious that more or less may be used, as desired. This object is accomplished by my invention, in which is provided a controlled valve which will permit, under certain circumstances, atmospheric air to enter the passage between the pump and wind chest so that the striker pneumatics, which are connected to the wind chest, will act with an intensity regulated by my improved device through the wind chest.

For a. more particular description of my invention, reference it to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part hereof, in which Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view of one em bodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of my improved valve and regulating device.

Figure 3 is a cross section of the same.

Figure 4rshows one of the regulating pneumatics.

Figure 5 is a bottom plan view of the main valve.

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the regulating pneumatics, and

Figure 7 is a bottom plan view of the valve casing.

Throughout the various views of the drawings, similar reference characters designate similar parts.

In the embodiment of my invention herein disclosed, 1 indicates the expression device which is placed between the pump 2 and the wind chest 3, it being connected to the pump by means of a suitable tube 4 and to the wind chest by means of a suitable tube 5. It is also connected to the tracker bar 6 by means of four tubes 7, 8, 9 and 10 which run to corresponding openings 7, 8, 9 and 10 of the tracker bar 6 and this tracker bar also has various other openings of the conventional kind, such as the note playing openings 11, tracking device openings 12 and soloist pneumatic openings 13, a rewind opening 14 and various other openings of the conventional kind which require no attention here. It is sui'li- Went to say that when my device is in use, a note sheet passes over the tracker bar 6 in the usual manner and has openings corresponding with the openings of the tracker bar. in the conventional manner, and from time to t1m e,as the expression device functions, the openings 7 to 1O inclusive, are opened and closed in the conventional manner.

The essence of my present invention is found in the expression regulator 1 which has a central partition 15 on the upper surface oi which is a bellows 1.6 with a top 17 with a rectangular opening 18 in its center covered by a plate 19which has a lan itudinal slot 20 which is normally closed by a valve 21 of the usual kind which is pressed by suitable leaf springs and which normally remain closed, although a slight leakage occurs through the valve 21. The valve 21 also carries screws 23 at the bottom of which are buttons 24 which will rest on the partition 15 and raise the valve 21 whenever the bellows 16 collapse enough to permit this and in that event air can rush freely through the slot 20 into the interior space between the parts 15 and 17, although normally only a little air can enter this space Which air, as above stated, leaks by the valve 21. A leaf spring 25 keeps the parts 17 and 15 separated in the conventional manner, indicated in Figure 1. i

The lower snrl'aco ot the partition 15 is re cased at 26 and pertora d at 27 and this per'roration is surmounted by a packing 28 which may be engaged by a main valve 29 with a tight joint and this valve 29 is carried by a lever 30 fulcrunied on a screw 31 mounted, in the recess 26 and this lever 3Q is guided by suitable guides 32 which are placed, as shown. Normally this lever 30 is down under the influence of gravity, but it may be raised by any one of the pneumatics 7*, 9 and 10. Each of these pneumatics has a bot m1 leaf fixed to the cover 33 and an upper leax provided with a projection adapted to raise the lever 80. These projections are on the respective pneumatics and are designated T 8, 9 and 10, as indicated in Figure 6.

The extent to which these respective pneumatics can open is determined by means of adjustable stops 7, 8 9 and 10 which may be adjusted to any desired position by means of suitable screws which carry the stops, these screws being designated respectively 7 8, 9 and 10 and are projected through the cover 33 and are so positioned that they may be turned and manually adjusted when desired. The movable leaf of each pneumatic is provided with a bleed 3i and the iixed leaf with a perforation 35 that is connected with atmosphere through a sieve 36 and a cloth cover 37, as shown in Figure l, the cloth and sieve retarding the admission of air to the passage 35, but not altogether preventing the How of air to the same. Each tube is connected to an opening-35 as is apparent from Figures 7 and 4. In Figure 4- the passage 10 is shown with the gauze 36 and cloth 37. The pneumatics 2 to 10 inclusive are normally kept closed by means of suitable springs 38 which are very weak springs which in no way prevent the proper functioning of the apparatus in a manner which will be described below. I

The pipes at and 5 run to the exterior of the cover 33 and are connected to this interior so that if the main valve 29 be closed, they both have substantially the same pre sure, but if this valve 29 be opened, atmos pheric air is allowed to enter between the pipes 4t and 5 thereby reduce the amount of vacuum in the windchest, as is obvious.

In view of the foregoing, the operation of my improved expression regulator will be readily understood, assuming that the instrument is in normal use and that a note sheet is passing over the tracker 6 which opens and closes the openings 7" to 10 inclusive. As long as these openings 7 to 10 inclusive are closed, the corresponding pneumatics '7 to 10 are collapsed and then under, the action of gravity, the valve 29 is wide open and air is permitted to leak by the valve 21 through the space between the parts and 1.7, opening 27 and into the chamber 26 between the pipes l and 5 and thereby the vacuum in the wind chest is reduced correspondingly and the striker pneumatics will function accordingly and the piano action, which is dependent on these striker pneumatics, will also function accordingly and thereby render corresponding results on the piano strings which means that the piano will play with a minimum volume of sound. If a greater volume ofsound is desired, the opening 7 a will be uncovered and then air flows through the tube 7 to the pneumatic 7 which immediately becomes inflated and expands to the limit permitted by the stop 7 and at the same time the projection 7 on this pneumatic raises the lever 30 and thereby partially closes the valve 29 and this makes a corresponding decrease in the amount of atmospheric air which leaks in between the pipes l and 5 and causes the striker pneumatics to become correspondingly more vigorous and these in turn function through thepiano action so that the strings are struck with more force and a louder volume of sound is produced. As soon as the hole '4'" is again covered, the pneumatic 7 immediately collapses and gravity restores the lever 30 to normal and returns the main valve 29 to its wide open position. All the other pneumatics 8 to 1O inclusive function in the same identical manner and as the stops, which determine the amount these pneumatics will open, are set so as to more or less close the valve 29, it is obvious that the expression of the piano is regulated by this main valve 29 and if the pneumatic 1O be inflated,

above described, the lever 30 may be raised to its uppermost position in which the valve 29 will be closed or nearly so, depending on what the apparatus is regulated for. To pre vent a too violent fluctuation of the apparatus, the valve 21 is provided with the opening means above described so that if there should be an excessive collapsing of the bellows 16, the stops 2st will engage the partition 15 and raise the valve 21 off its seat so that a free flow of air will occur through the passage 20 and thereupon the spring 25 will act promptly to raise the part 17 and restore the apparatu s to its normal condition and of course this inrush of air correspondingly reduces the vacuum in the wind chest with results which are obvious.

While I have shown and described one embodiment of my invention, it is obvious that it is not restricted thereto, but that it is broad enough to cover all structures that come within the scope of the annexed claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A regulator having a chamber with a main valve therein, a lever connected to said main valve and a series of pneumatics in said chamber for adjusting the position of the lever.

2. In an expression regulator, a chamber with a main valve, a lever carrying said valve, a pneumatic in said chamber for adjusting the position of the lever through a part on the pneumatic, a stop for limiting the movement of the pneumatic and means for adjustthe stop.

3. In an expression regulator, a main valve, a lever carrying said valve, a pneumatic in said chamber for determining the position of the lever and means for connecting the pneumatic and lever, a stop for limiting the movement of the pneumatic and a spring WfllCll normally tends to keep the pneumatic closed.

4. In anexpression regulator, a chamber adapted to have a pressure below atmos pheric, a main valve in said chamber, a lever carrying said valve, a pneumatic in said Ill] chamber and means for connecting the same sudden increase in the amount of air in said to said lever so that the pneumatic may shift imenmatic, whereby the same Will become inthe lever a stop for limiting the movement fluted against the tension of the spring.

or the pneumatic, a spring adapted to hold In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set the pneumatic normally closed, ableecl in said my hand and seal this 27th day of March, pneumatic, an opening to atmospheric air in 1924.

said pneumatic and means for admitting a TOLBERT F. CHEEK. 

